Hi there. I hope you are doing well. I am so glad, hoping you’d agree with me, that the days of COVID-19 are almost over. And, we can’t wait to return to our normal lives – the new normal as it were. It is your time to soar.
Use adverse situations to your benefit
If you are like me, I sincerely hope you used the COVID lockdown to re-invent yourself. I hope you started doing ‘that thing’ you have put off for a long time. After failing to start a Tumblr blog in 2015, I started my old blog, http://nrayk.wordpress.com during the lockdown. That was in May 2020; the response has been overwhelming and I have the COVID lockdown and a persistent spirit to thank for it. I’d like you to share your lockdown stories with us. Your story might encourage someone. Share a comment at the end of the post.
Learn the art of persistence
Today I want us to talk about persistence, or the art of being persistent. Yes, I call it an art. Your ability to persist is the one most important character trait or mindset that can deliver any desire into your hands. Can you look back in your life and see how many goals you set to achieve? Do you recall how zealous you were when you started working on that your dream, just to abandon it at the end of the day for some reason? That’s true, isn’t it? It is time to persist, because it is your time to soar.
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the verb persist as: to go on resolutely or stubbornly in spite of opposition, importunity, or warning. Have you ever been importunate in the pursuit of your dreams? Think about it – you, deliberately choosing to be annoyingly persistent until you get what you want! Now, that’s an indomitable mindset. Importunate people always win. Take a moment and read about the importunate widow in Luke 18: 1 – 8. How are you currently handling opposition to your dreams? Have you resolved to make it work, come what may?
Never take life casually
I want you to take time to reflect after reading this post; this is a heavy topic. Have you ever given thought to the fact that you could be better off in your career or business, if your stubbornly stuck to that original dream or idea you always had?
There is a popular saying that ‘perfect practice makes perfect’. There is no need to talk too much about this adage because we all know it is true. You will not only struggle, but you may fail to succeed at any activity if you do not strive to perfect it. And, the ability to perfect any activity whatsoever is built on nothing less than your ability to be persistent. You see that? If you know it is your time to soar, you will persist.
I know you have dreams you want to fulfill in your life. I also know that you are working hard towards realizing your dreams and attaining career goals. If you have read the articles in this blog, you must have, by now developed the aptitude to use your imagination and leverage it to get anything you desire; you learned how to renew your thinking even to the point of turning your hobby into a multi-million business; what about having a belief and acting on it; you must have developed discipline in whatever career path you have chosen and learnt to use failure to step forward towards your dreams, knowing that you are gifted and positioned to succeed in better ways than you even realize, as you speak the right words and follow through with the process.
But….
But, and it is a very big BUT, if you do not learn to PERSIST as you apply these life success principles in your particular pursuit, you may still struggle to make it. I know this may sound counterintuitive yet it is the truth. Even if you have enough capital to start a business, the business may fail if you do not persist as you learn and apply your entrepreneurial skills. You may fast and pray for unending days and nights, or have holy hands laid on you for success, but if you fail to persist at that chosen activity, your prayers might be in vain.
Thomas Edison persisted in his pursuit and after 99 trials, the light bulb gave off light at the 100th trial. People loosely mention that Bill Gates abandoned college and succeeded with Microsoft but it took decades of persistence for Microsoft’s true success to emerge. Steve Job’s success with Apple is a story with twists and turns but his persistence gave the world Apple products as we know them today.
…do this
Are you about to give up on that dream you have always wanted to realize or have you already given up and settled for a ‘secure job’ as your plan B? Do not waste your only life on earth. It is never late to start working on your dreams. Begin, right now! Follow your heart. Apply all the success principles you have learnt; read relevant books, watch relevant videos and listen to podcasts. Hang out with the right people. Above all, if you desire to succeed so very badly, and take your career to the next level, then one thing remains pivotal: be persistent!
The world awaits your impact. What are you doing about it? Persist, and realise that it is your time to soar!
My books (a course on self-development and self-discovery for career success) Do Yourself a Favor. Get Up! and Move! and its Study Guide are available on Amazon.com. Click here.